US Troops in Iraq to Get New Rules of Engagement

The top U.S. military commander in Iraq says American troops will have
to make changes to how they carry out their mission now that the two
countries have a new security pact.

In a statement released
Friday, General Ray Odierno says the U.S. will issue new rules of
engagement for combat troops stationed in Iraq.

He says U.S.
forces will still be able to defend themselves, but that the U.S. will
have to coordinate and carry out all future operations with Iraqi
security forces.

Also Friday, Iraqi Kurds report that Iranian
artillery shells landed in the Zhawara district, along the Iranian
border. There were no immediate reports of fatalities, or any
explanation or confirmation from Iran.

North of Baghdad, three
women were killed when a small appliance they found turned out to have
been rigged with explosives and blew up when they turned it on.

The
blast occurred in Balad Ruz, in Diyala province, one of the last
strongholds of insurgents battling U.S. and Iraqi government forces.